Monday, February 25, 2008

I know how busy she is back at home but I can always count on her on occasions such as having a baby, giving my mission farewell talk at church, taking me to the MTC (she is not even a member), supporting me on a mission, graduation ( except this last one because it was in May and she came in June to help with Lucas' birth), among MANY other things.This is my mom and my two beautiful kids.

I just want to say Thanks to my mom for all that she has done for me. I can't imagine not having her as my role model. She has been an incredible Mom and I love her so much. She is amazing. Everything she does is great, it looks great, it tastes great, it feels good. She is an amazing person and an amazing Mom. Although we are so far from each other it has been very comforting to feel her love and support in everything that I do. She has helped many of my dreams come true. She is always looking for ways to help us and never gives up on us. I am also amazed at how well she knows me and knows my needs. She lives far from us but she always says the right words when I need them the most! I admire her for many reasons but most importantly for her love and constant support. She is a great example to me. She was blessed to have a wonderful mother and I am also blessed to have her as my mom. Thanks Mom and we hope to see you sometime soon.Love,

MaquiP.S. This quote reminds me of her."A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie". ~Tenneva Jordan

Ashley: Mama? Dadda is a Doctor.Me: Well kind ofAshley: I am a big sisterMe: Yes you areAshley: And you??? After much thought she said.. You are Cristina. Meaning you don't have a title or you are JUST Cristina

Hi everyone! I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. Valentine's week was fun for us. Many things going on among them our friends from Dallas ( The Johansen's) came Wednesday afternoon and left Thursday after lunch. It was nice to have some company and the kids enjoyed playing as they always do. Ashley and Kaylee are a pretty dangerous combination! Ashley as I have mentioned before as become a little devil and Kaylee though she is cute and sweet is a hand full. Wednesday we stayed home and Thursday we went to the YMCA to swim and then to Norman for a little tour. I took Alicia and the kids to the "Greek House" for lunch. This is a place by OU that has great Gyros! Tim and I think that they are one of the best and has memories of our college years. After lunch we didn't have much time but we got to see OU and one of the apartments where we lived. It was fun and we hope to see them soon.

For fun we have been going swimming at the YMCA and the kids love it! Lucas loves water so He gets pretty excited every time we go.

For Valentine's Day we had dinner together as a family. Tim came home kind of late and it was fine because the kids were awake and in a good mood so they all got to play a little bit before going to bed. Ashley loves her daddy. She gets so excited every time he gets home! Tim loves chocolate and here he is having some dessert with Lucas..Caramelized apples with nuts!!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Last year Tim and Ashley went to a Daddy/Daughter Dance at the church and I loved the idea of them spending some quality time together around this time of the year. I have a friend back at home who gets roses from her dad every Valentine's Day even though she is now married and with kids she still gets roses from her dad and I think it's the cutest thing so I thought we could do that too. Now Ashley enjoys going to games so I thought that going to an ice hockey game will be great for her. Later as she gets older I like the idea of them going on a "date" to a nice restaurant and doing other things together that they will enjoy. If we have more girls he'll have to take them on separate dates and I am sure they are all going to love it. We also want to do what my friend's dad has been doing with his girls so as soon as our girls leave our home they'll get roses from their dad for Valentines' Day. I am sure Tim will send them flowers more often than that but at least I want them to know how much he loves them and I think this is a great way to do it. I'll have to think of something to do with the boys! Last night was great for me and Lucas. He went to bed around 7:30pm so I watched "Food Network" and had my favorite thing in this world ...oatmeal raisin cookies ( I just love them) and a smoothie ( you know we all need some fruits once in a while, right) . It was nice:) I can't wait for them to go out on a date again!

Friday, February 1, 2008

This is Ashley after writing on her face. She thought it was very cool and funny.

Aren't toddlers just ...fun?

It had to happen sooner or later. The terrible twos have finally arrived! This week has been by far one of my toughest ones as a mother. Ashley went wild and it was very hard for me to have patience with her. To name a few things that she's done: she started by coloring our wall with colored pencil. We have tried the magic eraser but it has not worked for us so if you have any suggestions please let me know. Later she decided that it was funny to throw things in the toilet such as a roll of toilet paper, toys, and anything else that could go in. Disgusting!!!! She also started to climb on the counter top in the bathroom and let the water run so she dances and plays with the water at the same time. Sounds like fun doesn't it? No, it isn't! I have been drying her bathroom floor more than I can tell. She is also starting to climb our bookshelf. She has also been putting her liquid soap on the mirror in her bathroom and she thinks she is cleaning and helping me. She also decided that it is fun to color her face with markers. The first time I saw it I was busy and couldn't stop her but when she decided to color Lucas' face too I had to stop reading and go and get her. She always chooses the time that I am the most busy such as feeding Lucas, changing his diaper, reading, showering, or even cooking. These are all normal behaviors for a two-year-old but we would rather have our sweet little angelback.